EY Law continues to enhance its Asia-Pacific presence with an alliance deal with South Korean firm Apex Legal, in a bid to align its advisory and legal businesses throughout the region.
Based in Gangnam in central Seoul, the 55-lawyer practice has become a member firm of EY’s network as it plans to build a 200-strong team of lawyers spanning key commercial centres throughout Asia-Pacific.
Led by its Sydney-based head of legal services, Howard Adams, EY has confirmed further plans for a legal practice to be established in Hong Kong by the end of the financial year, while talks are also due to begin with two small firms in Malaysia. Adams also aims to recruit more lawyers in Australia as a result of increased work flow.
It follows ongoing strategic consolidation executed by the accountancy giant; in October EY announced it brought Singaporean boutique firm PK Wong & Associates into its global network as an independent member, while other entries to the EY network follows that of Shanghai-based law firm, Chen & Co, which become a member firm in January 2014. It further established its own of its legal services capability in Vietnam in April 2014.
In December EY also made good on its growth plans for the UK, and was granted an alternative business structure licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, in a bid to provide ‘integrated, multidisciplinary’ legal services across England and Wales.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
